Guardian 27,763 / Imogen

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scchua is going to be occupied with other, more pressing matters for longer than he anticipated so here is my analysis of the clues. Unfortunately I don’t have time to explain some of the more obscure entries/definitions so you will just have to do as I did and look them up in a dictionary.

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Across
1 Native warriors quiet and mischievous (6)
IMPISH – IMPI (native warriers) SH (quiet)

4 Retired with honour, fault not originally with our side (8)
EMERITUS – [d]EMERIT (fault not originally) US (our side)

9 Image splashed over page, one in black and white (6)
MAGPIE – an anagram (splashed) of IMAGE around (over) P (page)

10 More difficult for one getting married? (8)
KNOTTIER – def. & cryptic indicator

11 Fresh meat widely available in peace camp (8,6)
GREENHAM COMMON – GREEN (fresh) HAM (meat) COMMON (widely available)

13 A conceited specimen a woman may take in hand (6,4)
VANITY CASE – VANITY (a conceited) CASE (specimen) with an extended def.

14 Place to go, not in river (4)
URAL – UR[in]AL (place to go, not in)

16 Wretched dog barked at first and bit (4)
CURB – CUR (wretched dog) B[arked] (barked at first)

18 Four voices disputed very loud (10)
VOCIFEROUS – an anagram (disputed) of FOUR VOICES

21 Young scholars have pencils, so nearly create chaos (9,5)
RECEPTION CLASS – an anagram (chaos) of PENCILS SO CREAT[e]

23 Conservative element in sentries about to retire? (3,5)
OLD GUARD – def. & cryptic indicator

24 Shocked by long story about time injecting heroin (6)
AGHAST – SAGA (long story) reversed (about) T (time) around (injecting) H (heroin)

25 African-American turns east, following Europeans (8)
SUDANESE – US (American) reversed (turns) DANES (Europeans) E (east)

26 A run-through cat that can produce a scream (6)
LARYNX – A R (run) in (through) LYNX (cat)

Down
1 Doctrines in a single text (4)
ISMS – I (a) S (single) MS (text)

2 In rough bars a lot of beer consumes benefit money (3,4)
PIG IRON – PIN[t] (a lot of beer) around (consumes) GIRO (benefit money) – this could also be parsed as PIN around GIRO because a ‘pin’ is a cask containing 4½ gallons

3 Nice toes sculpted in an artistic period (8)
SEICENTO – an anagram (sculpted) of NICE TOES

5 Freedom given to win more trophies is one club’s aim (11)
MANUMISSION – MAN U (one club) MISSION (aim {to win more trophies})

6 Provide new equipment robber picked up (6)
RETOOL – LOOTER (robber) reversed (picked up)

7 One cuts / a person who easily shifts positions (7)
TRIMMER – double def.

8 Saddle initially I forced out of shape, small problem for horse (9)
STRANGLES – S[addle] (saddle initially) TR[i]ANGLE (I forced out of shape) S (small)

12 Out of the closet, I request to start large quantities of drink (11)
HECTOLITRES – an anagram of (out of) THE CLOSET I R[equest]

13 Minister’s accepting debt second-hand (9)
VICARIOUS – VICAR’S (minister’s) around (accepting) IOU (debt)

15 Disease from fermented grape in which everyone’s thrown up (8)
PELLAGRA – an anagram (fermented) of GRAPE around (in which) ALL (everyone) reversed (thrown up)

17 Fixed software, logged but not right (7)
RECODED – RECO[r]DED (logged but not right)

19 Bones found here in your ass, remarkably (7)
OSSUARY – an anagram (remarkably) of YOUR ASS

20 Attack dog’s neuter after surgery (6)
OPPUGN – PUG (dog) N (neuter) after OP (surgery)

22 River comes to a halt in the sound (4)
STYX – sounds like (in the sound) ‘sticks’ (comes to a halt)

49 comments on “Guardian 27,763 / Imogen”

  1. I am concerned for scchua and hope all is okay for him. Thank you to gaufrid for stepping into the breach.

    I loved every minute of this, especially finding the gem 11a GREENHAM COMMON on International Women’s Day! NWILTs (new words I learned today – from the wordplays) included IMPI (in IMPISH at 1a), SEICENTO 3d and 20d OPPUGN. As well as double ticks for 11a, my other ticks were for 10a KNOTTIER, 13a VANITY CASE, 13d VICARIOUS and 19d OSSUARY (for its very amusing surface). LOI was 2d PIG IRON, because GIRO was unfamiliar (another NWILT, at least in that context). I needed help with parsing 24a AGHAST and 25a SUDANESE, which I got from the crossers, having failed to spot SAGA and DANES (d’oh!), so I am grateful for the blog, gaufrid. Many thanks to Imogen.

  2. I seem to remember that the last Imogen was unusually for him on the friendly side.  Not so today, there some friendly bits but most of it took quite a battle.

    I went for the GIRO in a PIN option for 2d.

    Thanks to Imogen for the cruciverbal battle and to Gaufrid for stepping into the blogging breach

  3. Thanks Imogen and Gaufrid for stepping in (I hope all goes well, scchua)

    Imogen often seems a bit earnest, and that was the case here. though I did enjoy KNOTTIER (I took “one getting married” as a KNOT TIER) and SUDANESE.

    GREENHAM COMMON was a bit parochial – easy enough for Brits, though I see that JinA liked it too!

    Misprint in 15d, Gaufrid – pellAgra (as you indicated in the parsing).

  4. I failed to solve 14a and 8d and still do not see why STRANGLES = problem for horse.

    I solved but could not fully parse EMERITUS. (I got as far as E/MERIT/US but did not know what the E at the start was for.)

    New for me were IMPI (1a), PELLAGRA, RECEPTION CLASS.

    My favourites were OLD GUARD + GREENHAM COMMON.

    Thank B+S

    * typo in blog: 15d should be PELLAGRA not PELLEGRA

  5. [JinA @1

    The surface for OSSUARY isn’t as funny in Britain as an “ass” is a donkey; the rear region here is referred to as “arse”. That reminds me of an Everyman crossword clue long ago. It was an anagram, and I had UP TO HIS ???? IN IT. The letters remaining were ARSE. I thought “surely not in the  Observer?”

     

    It was EARS

    I’m also reminded of a limereick

    There was a young girl of Madras, Who had a most wonderful ass, Not rounded and pink, As you might well think, But grey with long ears and ate grass]

  6. muffin @3 & michelle @4

    Thanks for the heads-up, typo now corrected (I’m blaming cataracts and poor light conditions for my missing the error when proofreading the blog).

  7. Thank you Gaufrid and Imogen. A delight from start to the all-too-soon finish. Like Michelle @4 I didn’t parse emeritus, so thanks for that. I thought Giro and Greenham Common were for those of us brought up in the 80s. No problem for me but a bit parochial perhaps. I read “pig iron” as “pin” as well, and “isms” as a single (“i”) text message (“sms”). Who knows? I’d list the ones I ticked but it’s most of the puzzle so I’ll just say it was a great Friday offering. My only niggle was with “vicarious” as the etymological root of vicar is that of a representative or stand-in (e.g. for the bishop) so the words are actually the same, not just a fortuitous overlap.

  8. Lovely stuff

    Thanks Imogen, Gaufrid (and Muffin for the limerick-presumably read with  northern accent)

  9. I thought the setter might have been female today, although as JinA highlights there is a happy coincidence with GREENHAM COMMON. I set off thinking this was going to be Imogen in generous mood again as the NW went in straightaway, and 13d was a nice one to get, but the rhs was much tougher with the NE being the last to go in. JinA has also mentioned my favourites and I’d add URAL (more like Paul than Imogen), and STYX. OPPUGN was new for me as well and it was nice to be able to see where it comes from and be sure it was right through its connection with impugn as well as the wordplay. Thanks to Imogen, Gaufrid and hoping that scchua gets things sorted.

  11. Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid.

    More or less what JinA@1 said, with the addition of LOOTER, MAGPIE and URAL all of which tickled the ulnar nerve for some reason.  Don’t quite get CURB as an equivalence for “bit” but I’m in a hurry now so haven’t time to think/look it up.

  12. Michelle, strangles is a horrid infection of the upper respiratory tract in horses. See 26ac !Yeah, great to see Greenham Common in there. Oppugn I’d forgotten. A few medical references here, both in clues and definitions. Hardly a theme though…? Thanks Imogen and Gaufrid

  13. yaffle@12

    Thanks for explaining, I had never heard of that horse disease but now I see it is in my online dictionary! I never would have thought to look that up

    strangles | ?stra??(?)lz | plural noun [usually treated as singular] a bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract of horses, causing enlargement of the lymph nodes in the throat, which may impair breathing. This disease is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi.

     

     

  14. Thanks for the helpful blog. Nice puzzle just about the top end of my pay grade with several unfamiliar words teased out of the meticulous cluing. Generally nice surfaces I thought.

    I parsed 1ed as I +SMS – phone text messages are SMS.

  15. As above, wishing you and family well, Scchua.

    Yes Imogen can be a bit knotty and erudite/obscure, but I never feel grumpy about it, not sure why; something honest about the way he stretches one. Mind you oppugn…what it says on the tin, but who knew? But there it was in my Collins. Greenham came to mind instantly via Mrs ginf and I having done one of Frankie Armstrong’s voice workshops decades ago; how the web weaves! Took ages to equate curb and bit, ditto to get pig iron (nwst its role in Oz history: pre-WW2 PM Robert Menzies nicknamed Pig Iron Bob for wanting to continue exporting same to Japan). 5d was a groan/grin when the p d’d, and dnk the disease but, again, read the tin. Thoroughly enjoyable workout. Thanks Imogen, and Gaufrid for coming to the rescue.

  16. [JinA, heard lots throughout the day re IWD, Fran Kelly and PK etc, but didn’t connect back to Greenham despite my personal link…snag, but still a bloke!]

  17. I really enjoyed this and agree with JinAs comments re new words learnt. Pleased to work out answers like STRANGLERS from the word play.
    Thanks Imogen and Gaufred.

  18. muffin@5
    I have been living in Madras for several decades now, but that ‘ass’ has proved elusive. However, in Coimbatore, where I lived as a young boy, i used to many an ass roaming the streets.

  19. On my gap-year in the 60s got in trouble from Great Aunt Nellie for taking cousin Roger to a folk club in Preston where they sang a drinking song that ran through every old volume measure from firkin to quarter-gill. Couldn’t swear, but I don’t think pin was included.

  21. I found this a pretty straightforward puzzle, except for my two LOIs which were URAL and STRANGLES.  I only got URAL because I was staring at the word ‘go’ and suddenly thought ‘aha, try the smut angle!’

    Looked up strangles, a completely new word for me.

    Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid.

  22. Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid. When I saw it was Imogen I thought I would struggle and I did. I found this very slow going with a bit of guess and then parse. However as usual I persevered and got there in the end, and learned some new words on the way (all been mentioned). Last in was the NE which held me up for ages. However once I had got a couple, the rest came readily. Nothing to add to the favourite clues list with all having been mentioned, but will add my support to 11a. Thanks again to Imogen and Gaufrid, and I will add my best wishes to scchua.

  23. [Yes muffin that’s it! What a great memory, I can still hear it. Aunt Nellie were still oop, sittin b’aht fire, when we came in. I never go to bed and leave lads out on their own, she said. Sweet old thing, born about 1880]

  24. Found this pretty tricky with a few unfamiliar usages, but all fairly clued so no complaints

    Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid

  25. I got the bottom half first and really enjoyed it but found the top half more turgid. The clues for MAGPIE, KNOTTIER and GREENHAM COMMON, however, were very good. There were no new words for me this time, although MANUMISSION took some dredging from the depths.
    Thanks to Imogen, and to Gaufrid for stepping in.

  26. Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid, and good wishes for Scchua.

    As often happens, I failed on a few, but the cluing was impeccable with the benefit of hindsight. I was not familiar with GREENHAM COMMON, but once I realized that fresh meat could be green ham, a quick Google search confirmed the rest. I also enjoyed VANITY CASE and MANUMISSION. My only quibble was with cluing VOCIFEROUS as an anagram involving “voices.”

  27. Ah GREENHAM COMMON – met my lovely partner there at the human chain around the base demo in 1983. She missed the Sheffield coaches and came back with me to Norwich – and the rest as they say is ….

    Proper prize quality today with several eminently parseable did not knows. Missed the demerit. Faves were GREENHAM (obvs),OLD GUARD and PIG IRON

    Big thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid. All the best Scchua

  28. I knew strangles was a disease of horses, but couldn’t parse it for toffee – thanks!

    Thanks muffin for reminding me of the Barley Mow: happy memories of folk clubs long ago.

  30. GREENHAM COMMON was FOI. An ex partner of mine was a Greenham women so that probably accounts for that! This was quite tricky in places. I’ve not heard of the horse disease so STRANGLES and URAL were LOI. I liked VANITY CASE and TRIMMER.
    Thanks Imogen.

  31. *Strangles is an infectious, contagious disease of Equidae characterized by abscessation of the lymphoid tissue of the upper respiratory tract. The causative organism, Streptococcus equi equi, is highly host-adapted and produces clinical disease only in horses, donkeys, and mules.*

    Not the first horse Problem that one would think of. I kept recalling a horse in one of Shakes[eare’s plays that was “galled in the withers”. Thanks of course to the setter and the  blogger.

  32. A slow start, but once enough crossers were in a brisk trot to the finish. My horse did not have strangles, thankfully!

    Am I the only one who knew “Impi”? Surely others have seen the film “Zulu”? 🙂

    Thanks to Imogen for a good puzzle and to Gaufrid for the blog.

  33. Trismegistus @32

    IMPISH was first one in for me, though I did check whether it was singular or plural!

    (I first saw Zulu in the 60s in a big cinema in Cardiff with my Welsh grandparents. We were right in the front row, and my grandfather reckoned that he should have been “mentioned in despatches” at least!)

  37. Thezed@7. I too thought that GIRO and GREENHAM COMMON might be a bit hard on younger solvers but they carried for longer than I remembered. The Giro closed in 2003 but I don’t know when it stopped being used for benefit payments. The peace camp didn’t close until 2003 but had largely dropped out of the news earlier, if memory serves me right. I cheated a bit to get STRANGLES when I found that STAGGERS wouldn’t fit and also couldn’t parse it.
    Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid

  38. muffin, WhiteKing,

    I preferred to save IMPISH until last, to savour it more.  Unfortunately, though, I had to get IMPISH in order to get ISMS, which was therefore last and savoured even more.

  39. BlueCanary,
    Greenham ‘Embrace the Base’ was in December 1982. Sorry to be pedantic but I took my three-month old baby daughter, so remember the date. I too made a new close friend there that day.
    Lovely puzzle.

  40. I thought the indicator for KNOTTIER was a bit vague, until muffin @3 pointed the way. Now it’s one of my favorite clues.

    I’m partial to thezed @7’s parsing of 1d, although Gaufrid’s works too.

    I found this quite difficult, and in fact I failed in the end, because I didn’t know about Greenham Common or strangles. (Yes, I could have worked them out from the wordplay, but I didn’t.) Nonetheless, it was very satisfying in the end.

    I did like 19d for its surface, although I wondered if it needed an indicator of the American usage. I have the impression that the American usage of “ass” is becoming more common in Britain, but I could be wrong.

    I had an uncle whose rude boss would yell to him, “Get your ass in here!”, prompting him to respond, “That’s a beast of burden, and I don’t happen to have one with me.”

     

     

  41. Actually, my comment about needing an American-usage indicator makes no sense, as the American usage applies only to the surface. I don’t know what I was thinking.

  42. So much to enjoy in this one.  A few new words but the cluing was very fair.  Liked too many to mention specifically but needed to come here to understand URAL – unlike Anna@21 I forgot to look at the smut angle!  Thanks to Imogen and Gaufrid.

  44. (Now that the most urgent things have settled …) Thanks for all the good wishes. Yesterday, halfway through the blog, I got news that my father-in-law had passed away (peacefully at 93 years). Had to help with the related arrangements, which took longer than I had hoped, and had to SOS Gaufrid, to whom thanks.

  45. My condolences to you, your wife and family, scchua. Thinking of you. As coincidences go even across the distance –  today would have been my Mum’s 96th birthday (she died aged 92) and I have just driven for five hours to put flowers on her grave and then visit with her delightful great-grand-daughter, my great-niece Florence, aged one.

  46. I too had “knot tier” as word play for KNOTTIER.
    I agree that 1dn could be 1SMS (Short Messaging Service?) but Gaufrid’s (and my) parsing equally valid I think.

    Very Timeslike. Particularly liked LARYNX.

    Many thanks to I and g.

    [gaufrid – Don’t delay the CATARACT surgery (if you’ve the choice). These days the procedure is swift, accurate, reliable and totally painless, during and after. My surgeon ‘set’ the lenses so that my lifelong myopia was also corrected and I could dispense with glasses for first time since I was a small boy. The world looked as though it had been cleaned and I’d never seen white as so……. well, white! Probably how colours looked even before I could walk! And for a few days after I was smiling inanely at everything and everybody. I understood how Lazarus might have felt. So, gaufrid, if you have any doubts (though you probably already know all this) please dismiss them.]

  48. “a conceited” = VANITY?  noun?  adjective?

    muffin @# and thezed @7  RECEPTION CLASS was new to me.  GREENHAM COMMON wasn’t — I’m American and brought up well before the eighties, but the peace camp was familiar to everyone in the peace movement.  It seems to be familiar to Julie in A too, so maybe it’s not so parochial after all.

    grantinfreo, thank you for mentioning Frankie Armstrong!  I’ve done one of her workshops too, and thought of her as a friend in the 70s and 80s.   Lost touch with her since.  And muffin knows “The Barley Mow”!  Folk music lives!

    I think I’ve seen OPPUGN, but have certainly never used it.  Now I’ll try to.

    Best wishes to you, scchua, and I’m glad your news is not as bad as some of us thought.  Condolences to all in your family.  And thanks to Imogen and to Gaufrid for stepping in.

  49. Valentine @ 48: the standard phrase ‘vanity publishing’ could also be rendered as ‘conceited publishing’, but the formersounds somehow less rude.

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